§ 68.67 - Process hazard analysis.

§ 68.67 Process hazard analysis.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 17688, Mar. 11, 2024.

(a) The owner or operator shall perform an initial process hazard analysis (hazard evaluation) on processes covered by this part. The process hazard analysis shall be appropriate to the complexity of the process and shall identify, evaluate, and control the hazards involved in the process. The owner or operator shall determine and document the priority order for conducting process hazard analyses based on a rationale which includes such considerations as extent of the process hazards, number of potentially affected employees, age of the process, and operating history of the process. The process hazard analysis shall be conducted as soon as possible, but not later than June 21, 1999. Process hazards analyses completed to comply with 29 CFR 1910.119(e) are acceptable as initial process hazards analyses. These process hazard analyses shall be updated and revalidated, based on their completion date.

(b) The owner or operator shall use one or more of the following methodologies that are appropriate to determine and evaluate the hazards of the process being analyzed.

(1) What-If;

(2) Checklist;

(3) What-If/Checklist;

(4) Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP);

(5) Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA);

(6) Fault Tree Analysis; or

(7) An appropriate equivalent methodology.

(c) The process hazard analysis shall address:

(1) The hazards of the process;

(2) The identification of any previous incident which had a likely potential for catastrophic consequences;

(3) Engineering and administrative controls applicable to the hazards and their interrelationships such as appropriate application of detection methodologies to provide early warning of releases and standby or emergency power systems. (Acceptable detection methods might include process monitoring and control instrumentation with alarms, and detection hardware such as hydrocarbon sensors.) The owner or operator shall ensure monitoring equipment associated with prevention and detection of accidental releases from covered processes has standby or backup power to provide continuous operation;

(4) Consequences of failure of engineering and administrative controls;

(5) Stationary source siting, including the placement of processes, equipment, and buildings within the facility, and hazards posed by proximate stationary sources, and accidental release consequences posed by proximity to the public and public receptors;

(6) Human factors; and

(7) A qualitative evaluation of a range of the possible safety and health effects of failure of controls;

(8) Natural hazards that could cause or exacerbate an accidental release;

(9) Safer technology and alternative risk management measures applicable to eliminating or reducing risk from process hazards for the following covered processes and shall meet all of the following requirements:

(i) For covered processes in NAICS codes 324 and 325, the owner or operator shall consider and document, in the following order of preference, inherently safer technology or design, passive measures, active measures, and procedural measures. A combination of risk management measures may be used to achieve the desired risk reduction.

(ii) For covered processes in paragraphs (c)(9)(ii)(A) through (C) of this section, the owner or operator shall consider and document, in the following order of preference, inherently safer technology or design, passive measures, active measures, and procedural measures. A combination of risk management measures may be used to achieve the desired risk reduction. The owner or operator shall also determine and document the practicability of the inherently safer technologies and designs considered. The owner or operator shall include in documentation any methods used to determine practicability. For any inherently safer technologies and designs implemented, the owner or operator shall document and submit to EPA a description of the technology implemented.

(A) In NAICS codes 324 and 325, located within 1 mile of another stationary source having a covered process in NAICS code 324 or 325;

(B) In NAICS code 324 with hydrofluoric acid alkylation covered processes; and

(C) In NAICS codes 324 and 325 that have had one accident that meets the accident history reporting requirements under § 68.42 since the most recent process hazard analysis under this section.

(iii) The analysis shall be performed by a team that includes members with expertise in the process being evaluated, including at least one member who works in the process. The team members shall be documented; and

(10) Any gaps in safety between the codes, standards, or practices to which the process was designed and constructed and the most current version of applicable codes, standards, or practices.

(d) The process hazard analysis shall be performed by a team with expertise in engineering and process operations, and the team shall include at least one employee who has experience and knowledge specific to the process being evaluated. Also, one member of the team must be knowledgeable in the specific process hazard analysis methodology being used.

(e) The owner or operator shall establish a system to promptly address the team's findings and recommendations; assure that the recommendations are resolved in a timely manner and that the resolution is documented; document what actions are to be taken; complete actions as soon as possible; develop a written schedule of when these actions are to be completed; communicate the actions to operating, maintenance and other employees whose work assignments are in the process and who may be affected by the recommendations or actions.

(f) At least every five (5) years after the completion of the initial process hazard analysis, the process hazard analysis shall be updated and revalidated by a team meeting the requirements in paragraph (d) of this section, to assure that the process hazard analysis is consistent with the current process. Updated and revalidated process hazard analyses completed to comply with 29 CFR 1910.119(e) are acceptable to meet the requirements of this paragraph.

(g) The owner or operator shall retain process hazards analyses and updates or revalidations for each process covered by this section, as well as the documented resolution of recommendations described in paragraph (e) of this section for the life of the process.

(h)

(1) Of the covered processes listed under paragraphs (h)(1)(i) through (iii) of this section, the owner or operator shall implement at least one passive measure at the stationary source, or an inherently safer technology or design, or a combination of active and procedural measures equivalent to or greater than the risk reduction of a passive measure, resulting from paragraph (c)(9)(i) of this section:

(i) In NAICS codes 324 and 325, located within 1 mile of another stationary source having a covered process in NAICS code 324 or 325;

(ii) In NAICS code 324 with hydrofluoric acid alkylation covered processes; and

(iii) In NAICS codes 324 and 325 that have had one accident that meets the accident history reporting requirements under § 68.42 since the most recent process hazard analysis under this section.

(2) If no passive measures are identified or all are not practicable, and no inherently safer technology or design is implemented, then the owner or operator shall implement at least one active measure. If no active measures are identified or all are not practicable, the owner or operator shall implement at least one procedural measure.

(3) For passive and active measures not implemented, the owner or operator shall document sufficient evidence to demonstrate to the implementing agency's satisfaction that implementing the measures is not practicable and the reasons for this conclusion. A claim that implementation is not practicable shall not be based solely on evidence of reduced profits or increased costs.

[61 FR 31722, June 20, 1996, as amended at 82 FR 4699, Jan. 13, 2017; 84 FR 69914, Dec. 19, 2019; 89 FR 17688, Mar. 11, 2024]